


feel it too

by stephsjblock



Category: 9 to 5 the Musical - Parton/Resnick
Genre: F/F, but its sweet at the end of course, kinda angsty at beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:49:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24368371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stephsjblock/pseuds/stephsjblock
Summary: She could easily lie and say that nothing was the matter, but wouldn’t it be nicer to talk to someone about this?Besides, Violet would see straight through the lie.They go to Judy's childhood home to get Judy's things when her mother decides to sell the house.
Relationships: Judy Bernly/Violet Newstead
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	feel it too

**Author's Note:**

> idk how i feel abt this but i'm exhausted and it's 3am and i wanna post something so here u go :)

Judy took a deep breath.

Her half-brother Robert had just informed her that her mother was moving in with his father. Abandoning her childhood home. Granted, Judy had not been there in years, only for the occasional holiday, but it still upset her. The place where she had learned to ride a bike, had her first kiss, and took her first steps was about to belong to another family. 

Her mom had asked her to come pick up the things she wanted. Old family heirlooms or old childhood knick-knacks that she would like to keep and they would sell the rest. Getting rid of it all, as if it hadn’t been a part of Judy’s life. 

She steadied herself and kept her hands working on the keys of the typewriter while her mind wandered. A few mistakes later, Judy pulled the paper out of the machine and crumpled it, angrily tossing it into the wastebin underneath her desk. Her hands balled into fists and slammed onto the desk, causing a few stares from the workers around her. She looked sheepishly at them and apologized for her improper outburst. She hoped that five o’clock would come soon.

Around 4:30, she knocked on the door of her best friends office. Violet Newstead had climbed to the top of the office food chain and was finally getting the recognition she deserved. First female CEO. Judy never thought she would see anything like her in her lifetime, yet here she was, smiling at Judy from behind her reading glasses.

“Are those the reports for May?”

Judy nodded, holding out the small packet for Violet to glance over. She wrung her hands nervously while Violet flipped through the pages. Her blue eyes scanned the documents through the lenses of her tortoise shell glasses. When had she gotten those glasses? Violet usually wore her black frames. These suited her quite well.

“Looks good.” Violet removed her glasses and smiled. Judy let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

“Thank you.” She smiled, but it didn’t feel natural. Violet, who had known her for years, took notice.

“What’s up?” Her eyebrows furrowed and her elbows rested on her desk.

Judy hesitated. She could easily lie and say that nothing was the matter, but wouldn’t it be nicer to talk to someone about this? Besides, Violet would see straight through the lie. She walked over to the small loveseat across from Violet’s desk and sighed.

“So you know how my mom and Roger are getting married?”

Violet nodded, very aware of Judy’s feelings about the union. She doesn’t think she has ever seen Judy so angry. They went drinking that night, then later going to Violet’s for a joint. Judy needed that.

“She’s selling the house and moving in with him.” Judy tried to hide the pure resentment in her voice, but it bubbled it’s way back up. She despised the whole situation. She was angry with how fast her mother had moved on from her father, how quickly Roger swept her off her feet, and how quickly her mother was willing to say goodbye to everything she knew. 

Violet frowned. She had come to learn that with Judy, change was something she never took well. It had taken her months to come to terms that Violet wasn’t going to be a desk away anymore. It was even harder of an adjustment whenever Doralee left Consolidated to fulfill her dreams of becoming a country western singer. Judy always needed someone to watch her, to help her through the change. Violet doubted that her mother was aware of that.

“Anyways, I’ve got to go tomorrow and pack up some of my belongings. The rest they are just going to toss.” Judy’s face fell to her hands as she tapped her nails against each other. An idea popped into Violet’s mind.

“What if I went with you? I could help.”

An expression that Violet couldn’t place flickered across Judy’s face. She smiled, but shook her head, causing her earrings to sway.

“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that. Especially on a day off.”

Violet gave her a look of disbelief.

“Judy, I insist.”

Judy’s smile grew ever so wider. She tucked her bottom lip in between her teeth and patted her hands on her skirt. She stood up suddenly with a bounce that she didn’t have when she first entered the office.

“Okay. I’ll pick you up around 10?”

Violet looked up and saw Judy standing in the doorway of her office, the harsh fluorescent lights silhouetting her figure. Her lips were curled into a hopeful smile and strands of her dark hair were framing her face. Violet gulped.

“Sounds good.”

Judy nodded and closed the door behind her.

Tomorrow.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Music filled the car, masking the silence between Judy and Violet. Truth be told, Violet was a little nervous. She wasn’t sure how Judy was going to handle this, but she knew it was important that she had someone with her.

Judy was just trying to keep her mind on driving, but (as it tended to do) it wandered. She thought about how painful it would be to walk into that house again. Since her father’s death, Judy hasn’t been to this house. Every time she thought of the home, she could picture her father out in the garage, fixing things from his never ending list. Or she could see him in the living room, snoring in the recliner. Little pieces of him lived on in this house. She can’t stand that her mother was so willing to let go of it all.

They pulled up in the driveway. It still looked the same, even after all of these years. The porch swing still remained. The image brought a smile to her eyes as she recalled helping her father build it. 

Violet noticed how Judy’s hands tightened on the wheel. Her knuckles were almost white.

“Judes, you okay?”

Judy seemed to just realize Violet was in the car.

“Oh! Yeah. I’m alright. Shall we?”

Judy got out of the car, Violet following shortly after. They searched briefly for the spare key, but managed to find it under a potted plant. Judy’s mom had offered to come, but Judy knew that she wouldn’t be able to handle that.

When she opened the door, it suddenly felt like she was four feet tall again. The same ugly carpeting remained in the house, an ugly wine color. She walked in slowly, taking in the decor. Family photos lined the walls. She pressed a hand to her chest when she saw a portrait of herself and her father. She had forgotten about half of the things that filled this house. 

She heard a noise behind her and remembered that Violet was with her. Judy needed to get grip. She had company.

“I’m sorry. It’s just… my dad.”

Violet walked up beside her to look at the photo. 

Judy, aged 5 according to the writing in the margin, had her hair in little pigtails and she was wearing a light purple shirt. Her little arms were wrapped around her father’s neck and they were looking into each other’s eyes. They both had matching goofy smiles. Violet found a similar smile on her own face.

“It’s lovely.”

She turned to look at Judy, who had tears in her eyes. Violet put a hand on her shoulder, concern flooding her features, but Judy waved her off. 

“Let’s just go up to my room, okay? We can come back.”

Violet nodded, but kept her hand on Judy’s back as they made their way up the stairs.

Judy’s room was… Judy. It had light lilac walls, and was very neat and organized. She had her books organized on a large bookshelf, along with some yearbooks. Various artworks and floral decorations littered the room. Some things never change.

“Let’s get started.”

They worked their way through all of Judy’s old books. She obviously kept the yearbooks, but briefly got distracted looking through them.

“Oh my goodness! Violet, look.” Judy laughed and scooted closer to Violet. Their legs touched as Judy sat the book across their laps. Her finger pointed to a portrait, and Violet had to do a double take.

“That’s you?” Violet asked incredulously. The girl in the photo had short, curly hair and braces. If you looked closely, you could see some resemblance.

“Yep. Eighth grade. Before I learned how to straighten my hair.” She laughed under her breath. 

Violet briefly wondered if Judy straightened her hair every morning before work. It was a shame. Judy would look great with those natural curls. Violet realized she was staring at Judy’s hair. She turned her head, focusing on anything else, but then her attention was drawn to another book.

“What’s this?”

Judy didn’t pay her any mind, still thumbing through the pages in awe at her classmates.

The cover of the book was pink with the initials J + A on it. Interesting. Violet’s curiosity was piqued.

She opened the first page and it was a photo of Judy with another girl in formal wear. Prom 1962. She flipped to the next page and it was the same girl. She seemed to be looking at the person taking the photo with an unamused look. Not unlike the one that Judy gave her. Violet laughed lightly, then flipped the page again. It was a love note, with a lipstick mark on the front. Well, that was odd. Maybe Judy never sent it. She flipped to the next page and was shocked to see a photo of Judy and the girl from before kissing, arms wrapped around each other. The photos were taken from a distance, so the camera must have been set up by one of the two.

“Who’s this?” Violet asked, amused of sorts. This was the last thing Violet expected to find. 

Judy turned and her face immediately turned red. 

“Where was that?” Her voice was surprisingly steady, despite the way the blush was spreading to her ears.

“Over behind the yearbooks.” Violet handed it to her, and watched Judy’s expressions. She could tell she was going through a lot of emotions.

Judy hadn’t seen her in years. Avery. Her first love. She was sure they were going to get married someday, if the times allowed. They were just teenagers in love, but it felt like more. Of course it did. The relationship was kept under wraps. Judy’s parents just assumed they were great friends. Who was to expect that Judy, daughter of Kelly and Dan Bernly, was a lesbian? No such thoughts were at the forefront of people’s minds in the sixties.

“Avery. Avery Wells.” Judy spoke after a while, startling Violet, who had already begun sorting the other books.

“What?”

“She was my first love.” Judy looked down at the book and ran a hand over the pictures. She briefly wondered how Avery was doing, where she was in life. Should she try to look her up? Maybe it was best that graduation was the thing that separated the two.

“Oh.”

Judy felt her heart sink, heavy in her chest. Anxiousness flowed throughout her body, a horrible feeling in her limbs. She looked up to Violet, who met her gaze. Judy looked away.

“I’m sorry if this made you uncomfortable. I doubt that you want to be associated with a le-”

Violet furrowed her brows and cut Judy off.

“I’m fine with it.”

Judy gave her a look, one that asked if she was certain. 

Violet reached out and put a hand on her knee. Judy felt her heart suddenly stop beating. The world seemed to slow, and she was hyperaware of everything that was happening around her. Violet gave her leg a squeeze and looked into her eyes.

“It’s alright, Judy.” Her eyes sparkled and she gave Judy a knowing look. It was comforting and too much at the same time. Her generosity and approval moved Judy to tears, unsurprisingly. She crashed into Violet’s embrace, tucking her head in Violet’s neck before she could see the tears fall. Violet shushed her and rubbed her back while she sobbed out decades of pent up feelings. 

They rocked slowly, not caring about the fact that time was passing fast. They only had about an hour until sundown. Judy sniffled while Violet began to speak.

“It’s alright, Judy. I promise.” She hesitated a second before talking again.

“You know, back in high school I had the biggest crush on our cheer captain?” 

This caused Judy to still. She lifted her face from Violet’s neck with an amused look.

“No, you didn’t. You’re just saying that.”

Violet looked at her deep in the eyes.

“I’m really not, Judy.”

Realization flashed over Judy’s face when she understood. Violet liked women? This was a shock. Though now that Judy thought about it, it shouldn’t have been one. She was never interested in men. Never paid them a second thought. In fact, she seemed to only focus on Judy.. does this? Surely not.

“Oh.”

Judy was suddenly aware how close they were. Her face was inches from Violet’s own. She waited, eager to see Violet’s next move. Her eyes widened a little when she saw Violet’s eyes rest on her lips. Just a little further. Does she dare risk it? This could ruin a long friendship, a friendship she cherished dearly.

Friendship be damned. Judy leaned forward and pressed her lips to Violet, hand resting on her cheek. Violet responded eagerly, kissing Judy back with enthusiasm, hand coming to rest on her thigh. They pulled away, breathless. They laughed and pressed their foreheads together, taking in the moment. What a moment this was. Judy finally felt like she could live her life the way she wanted to with Avery. It was a possibility with Violet.

“Let’s finish, shall we?” Judy smiled and pressed a quick kiss to Violet’s lips before putting some more books in the boxes.

Violet slammed Judy’s trunk shut, finally managing to get the last box to fit in the small car. Judy was standing in the driveway, looking at the house she would always consider home. The portrait of herself and her father was pressed to her chest as she took a deep breath. Maybe she relied too heavily on a location for home. Maybe, she thought as she looked over at Violet in the passenger seat, she could find a new home. One that lived within herself and those she loved.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on twitter @fondajanney :)


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